Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 31, 2013 under Commentary | 
ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported late Thursday evening that Chris Paul is ‘angry’ for being cast as the villain in the firing of Vinny Del Negro as coach.
How much of an impact this will have on Paul’s decision to re-sign with the Clippers as a free agent is not clear, but the source conceded that Paul’s anger could lead him to look elsewhere.
“He’s angry right now and his anger is directed toward the Clippers organization,” the source said. “Chris is a man of principle and if he feels like you’ve gone against his principles, it will affect how he feels about you. He’s very agitated that his name has been put out there as the reason for Vinny’s firing. He had nothing to do with it.”
- ESPN
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 30, 2013 under Commentary |
In a summer of great importance, Dallas has already made one positive move. It likely won’t be a move that has a major influence on their free agency path this summer, but it is still a move that should greatly impact the finished roster. It was announced in early May that former Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Kaleb Canales will joins the Mavs an assistant coach, replacing Jim O’Brien on Rick Carlisle’s staff.
Canales has ties to the area as he a Laredo, Texas native. Canales earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Texas-Arlington and a master’s degree in sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.
In March of 2012, Canales became the first Hispanic head coach in the NBA when he replaced Nate McMillan. Now known as energetic and motivational coach, Canales began as a video intern under Maurice Cheeks in 2004 before spending three years as the team’s video coordinator. Before the 2008-09 season, he was promoted by general manager Kevin Pritchard to assistant coach.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 29, 2013 under Commentary |
After making an appearance on KESN-FM over the weekend, Mavs owner Mark Cuban once again took to the airwaves as he appeared on KRLD-FM on Tuesday afternoon. If you missed his initial appearance over the week, you can listen to it here. In his latest radio appearance (which can be heard here), Cuban further explained the team’s two-year plan, more of a behind-the-curtain look at their sales pitch to prospective free agents, what the heck is going to happen to Roddy Beaubois, and how this summer is different than last summer.
There was plenty of gold in Cuban’s comments. When there’s plenty of gold, there is only one way to tackle it.
Here is the quoteboard for Cuban’s appearance on the Ben and Skin show.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 28, 2013 under Commentary |
A safe way to go through life is avoiding risks. You can’t lose when you don’t take a chance. But you can’t win much either.
That’s a way of life that many people go through as some can’t take losing or the realities of losing. Many fans were heartbroken last summer after going through the drama with Deron Williams only to find out that he was going to stay with the Brooklyn Nets, spurning the Mavs and the opportunity to play with Dirk Nowitzki. A new year of free agency is upon us and the Mavs will once again try to swing for the fences as they pursue Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.
Many fans start wincing at the idea of the Mavs trying to pursue these big fish, remembering the feelings they endured through the entire process last year. (First off, you probably should avoid getting on the roller coaster in the first place.)
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 24, 2013 under Commentary |
There have been a lot of positive remarks about the questions and answers series that has started during the offseason. I think people are just thirsty for Mavs information or debate, but we’ll continue running with the series. If you ever have questions you want tossed into future a batch, you can always send them through Twitter or through the comments section.
This batch provides a good mixture of looking back, looking ahead and evaluating who the true gambles are this offseason with free agency. If Dirk and Carlisle were your kids and you had to pick one as your favorite, who would you pick? Wait, parents don’t have to pick a favorite child? Oh, that’s good to know for the future. Anyways, a variation of that topic is brought up.
For now, here are 10 more questions and answers about the Mavs.
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Tags: Andrew Bynum, Anthony Morrow, Brandon Jennings, Dallas Mavericks, Darren Collison, DeMarcus Cousins, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, NBA, Nikola Pekovic, Rick Carlisle, Tyreke Evans, Tyson Chandler
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 23, 2013 under Commentary |
Information is power. Getting seduced by information is dangerous. There is the clichéd saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, there were three photos that popped up last week that are very relevant in the Mavs’ universe. They provide information, two more interesting than the other.
The first one came on Friday morning as owner Mark Cuban reinforced his point to the fans that he is committed to making this past season as an aberration as opposed to the new norm.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 22, 2013 under Commentary |
Math once again had its day. The Mavs and Lady Luck once again couldn’t connect as they held their pre-lottery spot and hold the 13th pick in this upcoming draft. The draft will be held on June 27.
There was one thing about the lottery that remained consistent when it came to the Mavs as they didn’t move up from their projected spot. That has been the case in each of their 12 appearances in the lottery.
The early analysis of this draft suggests that there isn’t a guaranteed difference maker in the lottery. The goal for any team picking outside of the top five will be to find a player who can slide in your current rotation. Once you get past the top 5 players, there’s certainly depth and value available. After a little bit of a down period, it appears the international pool of players might have more intriguing depth this year.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 21, 2013 under Commentary, Recaps |
The NBA Draft lottery is tonight. The Mavs are certainly in a position of relatively unfamiliarity as they will be a participant in the lottery. The ping pong balls could alter the path the Mavs take this offseason in a dramatic way. Though it’s unlikely that they’ll find their name being announced last, giving them the No. 1 overall pick, the lottery represents the official start of the offseason. Dallas will have more information than they had the previous day and be able to really chart a path to their offseason, starting with a draft pick. On top of that, it’s commission David Stern’s last lottery. Insert your emotional response here.
For those who don’t know, Donnie Nelson will represent the team at the drawing. Assistant general manager Keith Grant will be with Nelson in New York.
With all of this in mind, a very knowledgeable man has stepped up to the plate and delivered a very thorough recap of the Mavs’ lottery past, giving you a look back as you prepare for the next chapter. That man is Mark Followill. If you have no clue who he is, what’s wrong with you? Followill is the television play-by-play voice of your Mavs. He’s been chopping it up, talking about the Mavs and other sports in the metroplex since the mid-90′s, so he’s more than just another guy when it comes to this bit of information.
With that in mind, enjoy the trip down memory lane. Enjoy reading this while listening to Followill’s golden tones in your ear, or your own.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 20, 2013 under Commentary |
The game of basketball has turned into the business of basketball. Players are still slowly learning that fact. Fans should understand that now. The 2010-11 Mavs are a great example of how business could get in the way of a good thing.
Dallas won the title that year and decided that it wasn’t a safe risk to “bring the band back” for another run at the title. Giving the core a chance to defend their title would have been enjoyable, but there was clear and reasonable logic behind the move the front office made. Mark Cuban has gotten a lot of heat for that decision, but the results of the playoffs this year suggest he was right for letting everyone go. As the Conference Finals are in motion, the Indiana Pacers’ Ian Mahinmi is the lone former Mav from the championship roster who still is playing.
Let’s look at what the Mavs would have theoretically had to do to bring most of the band back. Remember, Brian Cardinal and Peja Stojakovic are out of the league now. That leaves J.J. Barea, Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Ian Mahinmi, DeShawn Stevenson and Jason Terry. One guy to remember but won’t exactly be figured into this equation – Corey Brewer. He signed a three-year, $9,177,000 deal. He is now a free agent.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on May 17, 2013 under Commentary |
I think. I probably think way too much. That’s just what happens when you have time on your hands. Again, I just sat and thought about random things revolving around the Mavs. Answers popped up, and this is the end result. Another batch of 10 questions and answers in regards to the summer and the future for Dallas.
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